Nuclear Security

The threat to public safety and security posed by some form of nuclear terrorism is not new. But in the wake of recent highly organized terrorist attacks in Kenya, Tanzania, the United States, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and numerous other nations, the international community has come to recognize that new and stronger measures must be taken to protect against and prepare for a diverse range of terrorist scenarios. Terrorists might attempt to steal a nuclear weapon, or they could attempt to acquire the nuclear material necessary for constructing a nuclear device. They might also try to acquire radioactive materials with the goal of making a Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD), or so-called “dirty bomb.” They could also initiate acts of sabotage against nuclear power stations, research reactors, storage facilities, or transport operations with the goal of spreading radioactive contamination.

Such possibilities appear more probable in the context that today’s suicide terrorists hold few personal fears concerning their own safety —there are no self-imposed limits on consequences. Moreover, since the September11, 2001 suicide attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, nuclear terrorism has gained recognition as a potential threat.